This is about the ups and downs of first-timers taking on a fairly major building project - including extensions, conversions and landscaping. Scary expensive stuff!

Saturday, 14 September 2013

Progress

A couple of things have happened this week - first of all we've had the big sycamore tree cut down from the bottom of the garden. Unfortunately we weren't able to get the stump ground down as planned. Apparently the stump grinder weighs about 800lbs, and is self propelled, but wasn't able to make it down the rather narrow steps in our garden! Luckily with it being right at the bottom of the garden, it shouldn't be too much of a problem. The tree people took all the branches and wood away, but they did leave a LOT of sawdust! We collected 11 bags of it, and there's still lots there!

The main news this week though, is that we've picked a builder, and he's hoping to start in about four weeks. He'll be doing the downstairs pretty much, so the two extensions, removing the chimney breast, the walls, and adding the new steel supports. A joiner he works with regularly will be doing the loft conversion, and he will hopefully be starting even sooner - maybe just a couple of weeks. It finally feels as though things are moving forward after weeks and weeks of ripping things out and going backwards!

We do have some wallpaper left to strip off in the hall, landing and stairs, so will hopefully get that done before anyone starts. We also have a man coming round to check whether we need a new damp proof course. We're not sure whether the couple of damp areas are 'real' damp, or just because they're rooms that mum didn't really use, and so rarely got properly heated. If we do need the new damp proofing, then that will mean hacking a lot of the plaster off downstairs, which of course it's better to do now rather than later.

So, although we've just about done everything we can do in the house, and will be handing it over to the professionals, this is where it starts to get really busy and hectic (not to mention expensive!)